Best Rescue of a Grooming Tradition

Avenue Barber Shop

Most folks acquiring an old barber shop nowadays would strip out the striped pole and go all salon on the joint. But when Continental Club owner Steve Wertheimer and Kevin Lemoine bought George's Barber Shop from longtime owner George Jaeger this year, they embraced the past, turning the clock back to the early Sixties with a vintage Coke machine, retro signage, a rack full of men's magazines, and, of course, classic cuts from barbers in black ties and crisp white jackets. When those scissors start to snip, you'd swear JFK was still in the White House. The move reflects the new owners' old-school tastes (both are classic car enthusiasts), but it's also a loving nod to history, the site having been home to a barber shop since FDR's first term. On the street the hip call SoCo, how refreshing to see someone remember that first it was "the Avenue."